Government of Canada Awards Contract for New Space-based Search and Rescue Technology

MDA May 13, 2019

Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue, QC, May 10, 2019 /CNW/ - Through Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is ensuring that our women and men in uniform have the equipment they need to do their jobs and to protect Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport and Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, on behalf of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, announced that the Government of Canada has awarded a $39-millioncontract to Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation (MDA) of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, to design, build and deliver 10 search and rescue repeaters for National Defence's Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) system.

This contract will help create or maintain 44 jobs over the length of the contract, which will stimulate economic growth in Quebec.

Deployed on a satellite, a repeater detects signals from distress beacons across the country and along Canada's coastlines and relays them to a ground station.

As part of an agreement between National Defence and the United States Air Force (USAF), the Canadian repeaters will be hosted on USAF's next-generation GPS satellites.

The MEOSAR system is expected to deliver improved response times for search and rescue activities and increase accuracy to locate people, ships or planes in distress. It will replace Canada'scurrent search and rescue system, which has been in place for several decades.

Quotes

"Our Government is committed to providing the Canadian Armed Forces with cutting-edge technology for search and rescue operations to save those in distress in Canada. These repeaters will be designed and built with homegrown Canadian aerospace expertise, supporting our aerospace sector and stimulating economic growth in Quebec."

The Honourable Marc Garneau

Minister of Transport

"Through this investment, our government is supporting the Canadian Armed Forces in their important work to help save people's lives both on land and sea. The contract with MDA will also help sustain economic growth in our community with 44 good middle-class jobs. ."

Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis

"This project builds on the successful partnership between National Defence and MDA to develop innovative solutions that are vital to Canada's sovereignty and security. Once qualified as operational, this system will dramatically improve both the speed and location accuracy for detecting beacons, and as a result, greatly enhance the coordination and dispatch of search and rescue teams to help people in distress."

Mike Greenley

Group President of Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates Corporation

Quick facts

The Government of Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, reaffirms Canada's commitment to invest in our military, and sustain our search and rescue capabilities.
Alongside the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Armed Forces responds to more than 9,000 search and rescue calls annually, approximately 1,000 of which result in the launching of search and rescue air assets.
The contract will run until February 1, 2029. The government may extend the contract to August 1, 2034, if it elects to acquire an additional 12 repeaters.
The contract was awarded following an open, fair and transparent competitive procurement process, which included a fairness monitor who observed the procurement process.

Associated links

Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue Request for Proposal

Defence Capabilities Blueprint: Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue

Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue contract award

Industrial and Technological Benefits

Source Public Services and Procurement Canada

Contact:

Ashley Michnowski, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, 819-997-5421

Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca

Web Site: www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca